How ZIP Codes Quietly Reshaped Everyday Mail
What ZIP Code Really Means: ZIP Code stands for Zone Improvement Plan. It is a system created by the United States Postal Service to make mail delivery faster and more accurate. Each ZIP Code represents a specific geographic area, helping postal workers quickly sort and route letters and packages. Before ZIP Codes, mail sorting depended heavily on local knowledge and handwritten addresses. As the country grew, this system became slower and more prone to mistakes. ZIP Codes introduced structure to a process that needed better organization.